Masterminds (quiz bowl)

General

MasterMinds is an academic, Quiz Bowl-type program in Upstate New York that uses NAQT as its question source. Masterminds uses NAQT A-Set questions. Two teams of four players face off answering questions on a wide variety of topics including literature, history, science, visual and auditory arts, philosophy, social science, geography, current events, and popular culture. Rounds consist of two eight-minute timed halves.

Toss-Up Questions

Toss-Up questions are worth 10 or 15 points apiece. They are asked, and any one person from either team can buzz in and give the answer. If they get the question correct, they earn 10 or 15 points for their team which then has the opportunity to answer a bonus question. If a player interrupts the question and supplies an incorrect answer, that player's team is penalized 5 points and may not answer the question again, letting the other team wait until the question finishes to answer. If an incorrect answer is given after the question is finished, or if the second team interrupts incorrectly after the other team has already been penalized, no penalty is given, but the team that answered incorrectly cannot answer again. If a player rings in on a toss-up before the "power mark" on the packet, he/she "powers" the question and earns 15 points instead of 10. Players may not confer with their teammates during toss-up questions by verbal or nonverbal means.

Bonus Questions

These questions are aimed for the team to work together to answer. Bonuses are worth 30 points total and are usually broken down into three, 10 point parts. Conferring is allowed and encouraged. Anyone on the team that correctly answered the toss-up may answer the bonus question.

Regular Season

During the Regular Season, the teams in each region are divided up into leagues. Most leagues have six teams, though some have five or seven. In the 2016-17 season, Albany and Buffalo had five leagues, Rochester had ten, and Syracuse had two. The leagues are run with a double or triple round robin format, depending on the number of teams. All teams play twelve regular season games across six rotations, meaning that teams usually play two games each rotation, though they may play more if they were unable to go to an earlier one. There is generally one rotation each month, and they are held at schools in the league. Individual statistics, such as the number of questions answered correctly, the number answered incorrectly, the number "powered", the number of games and halves played, and the player's average points per half, are kept.

Many participating schools also have Junior Varsity teams, which are ostensibly for students in 10th grade and below. There are generally fewer Junior Varsity teams in each league than Varsity teams, so their tournaments are often quadruple or hextuple round robin. Junior Varsity games are run on the same questions as those for the Varsity division. There are no playoffs for Junior Varsity.

Playoffs

The top half of Varsity teams (rounded up) by win-loss record from each league advance to the regional playoffs. The playoffs are run with a double elimination format. The playoffs for Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester are spread across multiple days, beginning in mid-to-late April and ending in late May. In the Albany and Buffalo playoffs, the teams that qualified for playoffs are separated into two groups, each of which plays the first four rounds of playoffs, and the teams that remain after those games (two undefeated and four once-defeated) play again at a later date to decide the regional champion. The Rochester league is similar, except that initially the teams are divided into four, and the final match takes place at a date after its competitors are determined, due to fact that there are many more teams in Rochester than in Albany or Buffalo. Correspondingly, Syracuse, the smallest region, concludes its playoffs on a single day. Individual stats are not kept in the playoffs, though an MVP and "All Tournament Team" are stated, presumably on the basis of total points obtained.

The winner of each of the Regional Championships advance to the State Championship in June. The State Championships usually take place at LeMoyne College. The State Champtionships are run in a round robin format: each team plays each other once, and a champion is decided based on win-loss record. Like in the regional playoffs, individual stats are not kept, but an MVP and "All Tournament Team" are named. The questions used in the regional and state playoffs are of the same difficulty as those used in the regular season (they both come from NAQT A-Sets, which are substantially easier than most questions sets used in mainstream, non-Masterminds quizbowl).

State Winners

2017-2018: Troy
2016-2017: Bethlehem
2015-2016: Bethlehem
2014-2015: Bethlehem
2013-2014: Bethlehem
2012-2013: Bethlehem
2011-2012: Fayetteville-Manlius
2010-2011: City Honors
2009-2010: Bethlehem
2008-2009: Guilderland
2007-2008: Williamsville East
2006-2007: Irondequoit
2005-2006: Bethlehem^[1]

Regional Winners (Bolded Teams won States)

Albany Leagues

League 1

• Amsterdam (2018 League 1 Champion)
• Broadalbin-Perth
• Galway
• Gloversville
• Johnstown
• Mayfield

League 2

• Albany (2018 League 2 Champion)
• Averill Park
• Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
• Christian Brothers
• LaSalle
• Waterford

League 3

• Columbia
• Coxsackie-Athens
• Rensselaer
• Saratoga Springs (2018 League 3 Champion)
• Schalmont
• Schenectady
• Watervliet

League 4

• Bethlehem (2018 League 4 Champion)
• Catholic Central
• Duanesburg
• Guilderland
• Lansingburgh

League 5

• Berlin
• Berne-Knox-Westerlo
• Holy Names
• Hoosick Falls
• Tamarac
• Troy (2018 League 5, Regional, and State Champion)

Buffalo Leagues

League 1

• Lancaster
• Medina
• Nichols School (2018 Regional Champion)
• Sweet Home
• Williamsville East (2018 League 1 Champion)
• Williamsville North

League 2

• Canisius
• Cardinal O'Hara
• Christian Central
• Olmsted
• Starpoint (2018 League 2 Champion)

League 3

• Amherst
• Grand Island
• Kenmore East
• Kenmore West
• Lew-Port
• St. Joseph's (2018 League 3 Champion)

League 4

• Cheektowaga
• City Honors (2018 League 4 Champion)
• Cleveland Hill
• Depew
• Lake Shore

League 5

• East Aurora
• Iroquois
• Orchard Park (2018 League 5 Champion)
• West Seneca East
• West Seneca West

Rochester Leagues

League 1

• Brighton (2018 League 1 Champion)
• Churchville-Chili
• Northstar Christian
• Penfield
• University Prep
• Wilson
• World of Inquiry

League 2

• Gates Chili
• Greece Arcadia (2018 League 2 Champion)
• Hilton
• Rush-Henrietta
• School of the Arts
• Spencerport

League 3

• Albion
• Brockport
• Elba
• Holley
• Kendall
• Pembroke (2018 League 3 Champion)

League 4

• East Rochester
• Greece Athena
• Greece Odyssey
• Greece Olympia
• Livonia
• Mercy (2018 League 4 Champion)
• Wheatland-Chili

League 5

• Bloomfield
• Dundee
• Geneva (2018 League 5 Champion)
• Marcus Whitman
• Newark
• Penn Yan
• Red Jacket

League 6

• Midlakes
• North Rose-Wolcott
• Pal-Mac
• Sodus (2018 League 6 Champion)
• Wayne
• Williamson

League 7

• Canandaigua (2018 League 7 Champion)
• Clyde-Savannah
• Lyons
• Mynderse
• South Seneca
• Waterloo

League 8

• Irondequoit
• McQuaid Jesuit
• Pittsford Mendon
• Pittsford Sutherland (2018 League 8 Champion)
• Victor (2018 Regional Champion)

League 9

• Fillmore (2018 League 9 Champion)
• Honeoye
• Keshequa
• Lima Christian
• Mt. Morris

League 10

• Aquinas
• Eastridge
• Fairport (2018 League 10 Champion)
• Webster Schroeder
• Webster Thomas

Syracuse Leagues

League 1

• Cato-Meridian
• Jordan-Elbridge
• Moravia (2018 League 1 Champion)
• Port Byron
• Skaneateles
• Southern Cayuga
• Union Springs

League 2

• Bishop Ludden
• Christian Brothers
• East Syracuse-Minoa
• Fayetteville-Manlius (2018 League 2 and Regional Champion)
• Manlius-Pebble Hill
• Solvay

^[2]